We had a great letter writing party last night for the Glen Canyon Off-road Vehicle Management Plan! For those that made it, I hope you had a great time and had plenty of pizza, please don't forget to send me a copy of your comments.
If you didn't make it, please make sure to submit your comments online at
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?documentID=56859.
The deadline is Tuesday, 3/4/2014.
Please also send a copy of your comments to
ront@u4wda.org, doing so will allow us to package and share our collective comments with other interested parties, such as affected counties, etc. Also, we will submit a duplicate copy of all your comments along with ours to ensure a backup.
Consider the writing guide below that was used at our letter writing party...
Expedition Utah, Rocky Mountain Extreme, Utah 4- Wheel Drive Association
Glen Canyon Off-road Vehicle Management Plan/ DEIS Letter Writing Guide
1. Introduce yourself. How do you use the backcountry? How do you use Glen Canyon area? How do you wish to use the backcountry? How do you wish to use Glen Canyon area? How often do you recreate in Southern Utah? How much do you spend? What activities do you engage in? Describe a trip you’ve taken on a Glen Canyon road? Describe a trip you someday plan to take on a Glen Canyon road? Declare your support for organization who will be making more detailed and technical comments (i.e. I support the position of U4WDA/ RME/ Expedition Utah/ Whatever club may be commenting).
2. Be polite! Refrain from using rude or demeaning language in your comments. Compliment the park service if you feel they are doing a good job in any particular area. Do not give them an excuse to apply any kind of negative stereotypes to the motorized recreation community.
3. Touch on a few Talking Points. Consider one or more of the following talking points. Use your own words. Describe your why the particular issue is important to you and how it might affect your recreation.
-Permits. What concerns do you have with permits? What suggestions do you have for a permit system?
-Should all routes should remain open to motor vehicles, including OHVs and street legal vehicles?
-Should all open OHV play areas remain open?
-A system for future additions or changes to roads/routes should be defined.
-A system for future additions or changes to open play areas should be defined.
-Noise impacts from offroad vehicles in the backcountry is minimal, including OHVs and street-legal ATVs?
-Soil impacts from ATVs and conventional vehicles is minimal. All road areas have already been impacted?
-Behavior and impacts in the backcountry is different than behavior and impacts at popular open play areas. Different people. Different type of recreation. How is it different?
-Orange Cliffs area should be open to OHVs and street legal ATVs. Important connections between different BLM areas. Important access to remote BLM areas.
-Through road connecting Red Canyon and Blue Notch is not clear on old map. The road should be clear on the new map. The route makes a connecting loop.
-Roads near Monticello BLM office (Bull Canyon/ Imperial Valley area) should be clearly defined on the map. Important loop with BLM lands. These roads should be open to OHVs and street legal ATVs.
-Should Rincon road be added to routes?
-Will limitations on popular shoreline access areas drive those users further into the backcountry?
-Is it a historical tradition (or cultural tradition) for you to use motorized vehicles in the backcountry?
-Do motorized vehicle trips to the backcountry provide you with a primitive experience?
Thanks,
Ron Tolman
U4WDA Land Use Director
If anyone needs help, post up. The more comments the better. Shoot me a PM or similar if you don't want to post up. I'd be glad to assist.
